The Home + Garden Show Interview: Rachel Kate

Rachel Kate will be appearing at the 2014 Minneapolis Home + Garden Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center. See her at the Lifestyle Stage on Wednesday, February 26, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m, and Sunday, March 2, at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.

You grew up in South Minneapolis and were planning to study mechanics at Dunwoody College of Technology. What changed your plans? I took a trip to New York. My girlfriend’s aunt was a financial advisor for Donna Karan, and [she saw] some of my drawings and said, “She should to go to Parsons.” So I went to an interview at Parsons and I was accepted. Which wasn’t really the plan, but…there I was. I was really lucky!

Is Minnesota is still reflected in your interior design sensibility?For me, design always goes back to nature. I always have to have greenery in every room, or stone, or wood. So, yes, it still is.

Your design includes many textiles and fabrics. Is there a wrong way to use those materials?A lot of polyesters and things like that that have a really bad sheen to them. And when you combine one bad material with other materials that are also very bad, it just keeps getting worse.

What should people use as the foundation for their design instead? I try to build around something natural. If you can, install some stone platting on one wall in a space, or put up some wood beams in the space, or start with some natural wood floors. Start with something that is really raw and very natural, and that is your focus. You can keep everything else simple and let that focus shine.

It’s February in Minnesota. What do we do here to bring nature and warmth into our homes? Here’s what I do: I cut branches from some of the pine trees out in my yard. I put them in large vases, and I fill the vases with stones and water. And those will keep for a couple of months. You don’t have to worry about it blooming. It’s still green. And it’s natural.

The Home + Garden Show is designed to offer homeowners inspiration and ideas. Are there things at the show that also inspire you as a designer?My favorite things always are the landscaping exhibits. When you walk in to the Show, you can start to smell flowers again. You can smell dirt. You can smell freshness again. That’s what gets me excited.